News – Scott Thwaites in Yorkshire

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Yorkshire’s Scott Thwaites – “the Tour is pretty much everything for me – The year in general was a success”

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News – Scott Thwaites in Yorkshire

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By Ryan Walters, Sportsbeat

SCOTT Thwaites was just another Yorkshireman when he watched the Tour de France ride through his hometown this summer but after turning his frustrations into Commonwealth Games success, the 24-year-old insists he is now ready to mount an assault on Paris.

Moving his way into contention for Tour selection as part of his team NetApp-Endura thanks to some impressive rides in the early part of 2014, Thwaites was gutted to miss out on selection with the route passing through Burley-in-Wharfedale, where he grew up.

Fast-forward one month and Thwaites was standing on the podium in Glasgow having battled through treacherous conditions to pick up a bronze medal in the road race for Team England – another homegrown cycling talent unearthed. The general public weren’t the only ones paying attention with Thwaites’ performances earning him a place on the British Cycling’s long list ahead for the UCI Road World Championships, although he didn’t get the chance to ride in Ponferrada, Spain.

And while Team Sky’s British riders may be dominating the headlines, Thwaites insists he is in a fortuitous position to race in the Tour with his stock fast rising at NetApp-Endura. In July, the Tour is pretty much everything for me, I was pretty disappointed to miss out but I think it is better in the long run that I do it when I am ready for it because I would obviously want to get to Paris,” said Thwaites.

“The year in general was a success, you have ups and downs like all years but to look back and have a Commonwealth medal is something I am very proud of and it is something I will look back on in the future. That performance on that day has given me a lot of confidence to take into next year and get more results.”

“I think I will be another year stronger and wiser and the confidence that I have gained from the big stage will hopefully help me take more risks or believe in myself more when it really matters and I hope that will help me get consistent results next year. There are so many talented riders in Britain and just to be part of the long list for the Worlds was a big step for me and it was good recognition for what I’ve done throughout the year. I am happy they are looking at me and hopefully I will get my chance”.

“Team Sky is a brilliant team but it is not all about them and I think the team I am at suits me because at Team Sky perhaps I wouldn’t get as much opportunity to go for results myself as I would be supporting the real superstars there. It is allowing me to grow in the way that I want to but give me the opportunity to win races as that is what I am good at, I can pick up results here and there and go for victories and maybe I would lose that if I went to Team Sky as a support rider”.

“I feel at home there and I am looking forward to the next year for them and hopefully we can get into the Tour as that is the big focus and I want to ride it next year. This year I feel like I am ready for it and if the training goes well I will be fighting for a place in the team.”

Thwaites was speaking at the launch of the Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries initiative, a partnership between Welcome to Yorkshire and Yorkshire Bank seeking to provide everyone in the county with access to a bike. He was joined by five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault and Yorkshire cycling royalty in the form of Brian Robinson, the first Briton to finish the Tour, to launch the scheme and insists it should pave the way for more Yorkshire cycling stars of the future.

“I think people always remember their first bike or the first time they hopped on a saddle,” he added. “For many it’s the start of lifelong enjoyment but not everyone’s fortunate enough to have access to a bike – hopefully this project will change that”.

“It will help all children from whatever background to access a bike and have the opportunity to try cycling and to see whether they want to continue and hopefully through the scheme we will get more people racing and more future champions.”

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